History and Features of Kaga-Yuzen Dyeing

The history of Kaga Yuzen dyeing dates back 500 years, to when Umezome (plain dyeing) was the distinctive dyeing technique of the Kaga district. In the mid 17th century, pattern and picture dyeing were introduced to produce elegant designs, and those techniques evolved into today’s Kaga Yuzen dyeing technique. In 1712, Yuzensai Miyazaki, a noted designer of fans, came to Kanazawa from Kyoto as a designer and dyer of the Tarodaya dyeing house. With his outstanding skill in dyeing using paste, he contributed greatly to the development of Kaga Yuzen dyeing. Kaga Yuzen dyeing flourished in Kanazawa under the patronage of the feudal lords of the Kaga district, and the city produced many outstanding dyers and designer. Kaga Yuzen uses five basic colors; indigo, crimson, ocher, dark green and royal purple, and the designs depict beautiful elements of nature such as flowers, birds and landscapes. The dyeing style is characterized by the technique of shading from the outside to the inside of the patterns, and by realistic motifs such as plants and flowers with leaves bitten by insects. The fact that techniques such as gold leaf application, tie-dyeing and embroidery are seldom used in Kaga Yuzen dyeing distinguishes it from Kyo-Yuzen (Yuzen dyeing in Kyoto). The designs used in the traditional dyeing technique of Kaga Yuzen highlight the delicacy and elegance of the Japanese spirit.